Air conditioning systems that reside outside a commercial building or residence, such as refrigeration units and heat pumps, are well known. In some applications, these outside units must operate in both warm and cold climate conditions. One such example is a heat pump, wherein the heat pump may be reversibly operated to heat or to cool a climate-controlled space, depending on the climate conditions outside.
Under certain cold climate conditions, ice may form between the fan blades and a housing component thereof, thereby preventing the fan blade from turning when an “on command” is received. Alternatively, under certain cold climate conditions the weight of snow build up on the fan blades may be sufficient to prevent the fan blades from turning when the “on command” is received. Each of these scenarios is undesirable, as it may potentially cause fan distortion or motor damage due to the overload on the system.
What is needed is an air conditioning system that addresses the problems associated with operating in cold climate conditions.